Rockfield Studios

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The official logo of Rockfield Studios
Rockfield Studios

Rockfield Studios is a recording studio just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire near Monmouth in Wales. RecordProduction.com called the studios one of the top five (recording) studios in the world.[1]

History[edit]

The entrance to the studios

The studios were founded by brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward[2] in 1963, by converting an existing farmhouse.[3] In 1965, they became the world's first residential studio, set up so that bands could come and stay in the peaceful rural surroundings to record. They have two studios, the Coach House and the Quadrangle, which are both set up for digital and analogue recordings.[citation needed]

The first big hit recorded in the studios was Dave Edmunds' "I Hear You Knocking" in 1970. In the early 1970s, the studios were used to record seven albums by Budgie, several by Hawkwind, one by Hobo, Peter Hammill's second solo album Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night in 1973, Ace's hit single "How Long" in 1974, and Queen's album Sheer Heart Attack. Queen first worked on developing their album A Night at the Opera and the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" for a month at Ridge Farm Studio during the summer of 1975,[4] then moved to Rockfield in August 1975 to begin recording the album, which became the band's first Platinum-selling album in the US.[5] Motörhead made their first recordings at the studios in 1975 and were, briefly, signed to the Rockfield record label.[3] Cyril Jordan of the Flamin' Groovies (who recorded at Rockfield several times between 1972 and 1978) said in 2014, "We thought Rockfield was the new Sun recording studios.”[6]

During a 12-month period in 1996-97, Rockfield sessions resulted in five UK Number One albums, by Oasis, Black Grape, The Charlatans and the Boo Radleys.[citation needed]

Charles Ward has stood aside and Rockfield Studio is now owned by Dave Edmunds. Charles Ward was more involved with the music.

The Coach House Studio[edit]

The Coach House studio was constructed in 1968 and is based around vintage microphone amp and equalisers. The main recording console is a NEVE 8128 inline desk with outboard including Neve 1060 microphone amps, Rosser microphone amps, API 550 equalisers and Urei 1176 compressors.[citation needed]

This live area was designed for band recordings with an emphasis on separation and natural acoustics. It consists of the live recording area with a Yamaha grand piano, one stone drum room, an acoustically variable second drum room and two isolation booths.[citation needed]

Artists who have recorded in the Coach House include Oasis, Bullet for My Valentine, Sepultura, Jayce Lewis, Simple Minds and Opeth.[citation needed]

The Quadrangle Studio[edit]

Rockfield (Studios) was an absolute dream because it was pastoral, funny and had a fantastic musical history ... I moved here and became one of these dismal, happy, sad, failed musicians that other people cross the street to avoid ... I really enjoyed my being in this Rockfield environment. I had lived in this goldfish bowl in Led Zeppelin.

Robert Plant[2]

The Quadrangle studio was constructed in 1973 and is best known for the recording of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". The main recording console is a MCI 500 series inline desk with outboard including Neve 1061 microphone amps, Rosser microphone amps, API 550 equalisers and Urei 1176 compressors.[citation needed]

This live area of the quadrangle studio was designed to record bands as live. This consists of the live recording area with its Bösendorfer grand piano, two large variable acoustic drum rooms and three isolation booths along with its 6m x 7m central control room.[citation needed]

Artists who have recorded in the Quadrangle include the Manic Street Preachers, Robert Plant, and Coldplay.[citation needed]

Artist roster[edit]

1960s[edit]

1970s[edit]

1980s[edit]

1990s[edit]

2000s[edit]

2010s[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Rockfield Studios - Legendary music studios". RecordProduction.com. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
  2. ^ a b c "Zep singer returns to solo roots". BBC News. 2006-05-20. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
  3. ^ a b c Collins, Jeff (2007). Rock Legends At Rockfield. University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-0-7083-2097-6.
  4. ^ Taylor, Roger. "The Telegraph", London, 1975
  5. ^ bbc.co.uk
  6. ^ Rawls, Alex (2014-04-28). "The Flamin' Groovies Can't Stop Shaking'". MySpiltMilk.com. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
  7. ^ "Lush - Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson on Their 1994 Album "Split"". Under the Radar. Retrieved 25 September 2015.

External links[edit]

  • Media related to Rockfield Studios at Wikimedia Commons
  • "Rockfield Studios". Retrieved 2012-04-15. - Official website
  • "Laid in Wales" (PDF). Resolution. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2012. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help) (159 KB) - Feature article on Resolution Magazine

Coordinates: 51°49′21.0″N 2°44′35.7″W / 51.822500°N 2.743250°W / 51.822500; -2.743250

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